The use of cathode ray tube (CRT) displays for providing man/machine interface for avionic systems has grown dramatically in recent years. Many such systems are now in place and, in practice, new aircraft are being outfitted, as replacement of electro-mechanical devices, with CRT displays. Consequently, today's aircraft systems are controlled and monitored mainly by the pilot via CRT interaction. In other words, displays are flight critical in modern aircraft.
Traditionally, evaluation of the electro-optical parameters or characteristics of CRT type displays have been performed by using conventional laboratory type optical test equipment such as theodolites, collimators, microscopes and photometers. Such testing is often tedious and time consuming. Besides, in the military support environment, this testing is oftentimes performed by a person who has had minimal experience in optical testing techniques. As a consequence, the subjective interpretation of the results, as in the cases of acuity and gray scale evaluation, differs from one operator to the next, thereby leading to low throughput.
Moreover, since there is a myriad of display units present in an aircraft, typically, individualized testing equipment is needed for each of the display units. For example, a particular testing equipment may be used for a heads-up display while a different testing equipment may be needed for the direct viewing display in an aircraft. And inasmuch as the testing equipment are different, different test approaches are taken. Thus, a proliferation of unique testing equipment, along with the supporting software, ensues.